Under the editorial direction of Norman Page, more than 40 of the world's most prominent experts have been brought together to combine their insights and knowledge of all aspects of Thomas Hardy's life and work. In more than 300 alphabetically arranged entries, this superb reference work examines all the novels, collections of verse, autobiography, letters, essays, stories, and notebooks produced during Hardy's long career. It examines his family and friends, the places that were important to him, and the influences that shaped his works, and it looks at more scholarly topics, such as various critical approaches to his work, and the history of Hardy publishing. Fully cross-referenced, and with a chronology of Hardy's life, an index of his poems, lists of place-names and characters in his works, a glossary of dialect words and expressions, a subject index, and an extensive bibliography, this is a gold mine of information. Boasting sound scholarship, the convenient companion format, and many beautiful black-and-white illustrations, The Oxford Reader's Companion to Hardy is an indispensable volume for all lovers of modern English literature.